Contact:
| Cesia Kearns | 612-310-2649 (c) |
Press Statement on Administrative Law Judge Ruling on Big Stone II by Sierra Club
Sierra Club applauds the Administrative Law Judges' recent recommendation to the Public Utilities Commission to deny the certificate of need for the Big Stone II coal-fired power plant proposal.
"The Administrative Law Judge pulling the plug on Big Stone II is a tremendous victory for all Minnesotans," said Audrey Cullen, a volunteer leader with the Sierra Club North Star Chapter. "This recommendation reflects the concerns of many people - that building more dirty, expensive power plants makes no sense for the health of our families and environment, for solving global warming, or for our pocketbooks."
This victory arrives while Governor Pawlenty is celebrating Minnesota's fishing opener, where some subsistence and sports fishers will not be able to eat the fish they catch due to mercury levels from plants like Big Stone. Cullen commented, "We hope this gives Governor Pawlenty even more incentive to commit Minnesota to a future free of coal power's pollutants that end up in our lakes and food systems."
Sierra Club has been working extensively with members of the public and groups around the state to stop the Big Stone II proposal and bring renewable energy alternatives to coal. Grassroots leaders with the Sierra Club remain confident that the Public Utilities Commission and other decision-makers will recognize that this project is a step in the wrong direction for Minnesota's economy, health, and environment.
"Friday's decision is the result of concerted pressure from people across the state who know that we can do better investing in solutions like wind power that will bolster our economy and solve global warming" said Cesia Kearns, Organizer with the Sierra Club's National Coal Campaign, "Minnesota's decision-makers are supporting the fact that more dirty coal like Big Stone II is unwise, and that clean, safe solutions are at our fingertips."